Improvement in attachments for billiard-tables



' v ZSheets-Shget I. H. WpCOLLENDER & A. P. RUDOLPHE.

' ATTACHMENT FOB. BILLQIA'RD TABLES.

N-FETERS. PNOTO-LITMOGRAPHER, WASNINGYON, D C.

'2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. W- COLLENDER & A. P. RUDO LPHE,

' ATTACHMENT-FOR.BILLIARD-TABLES. No.183',3 71. Pat'enqed Oct.17,18.76,

v N-FEI'ERS. PNOTO-UTHOGRAPHER. WRSHINGTON, G C,

UNITED" STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUGH W. GOLLENDER AND ANTHONY P. RUDOLPHE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN ATTACH'ME-NTS FOR BlLLlARD-TABLES.

I Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 183,371, dated October 17, 1876; application filed September 16, 1876.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that we, HUGH W. OOLLENDER and ANTHONY P. RUnoLPHE, both of the city of New York, county of New York and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Game; and we do hereby declare that the following is a fulland exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and the letters of reference marked thereon, making part of the specification of our said joint invention.

Our invention relates to a novel contrivance especially adapted for use in conjunction with an ordinarybilliard-table and consists in the,

employment of a slab of suitable thickness, having formed in it certain depressions or cavities for the accommodation of a ball, provided with one tapering or inclined edge for the ball to ride over, and with a cushion-rail at one of its other edges, all as will be hereinafter fully described and our invention further consists in making the inclined or tapering edge of a piece separate from the stock composing the slab, and detachable therefrom,

as and for the purposes to be hereinafter more fully explained; and our invention further consists in making the slab-cushion detachable and reversible, in the manner and for the purpose to be hereinafter more fully set forth.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to more fully describe its construction and operation, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan or top view of an ordinary carrom billiard-table, with our, invention adapted and applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the same, at the line a; .r, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section at the line y 3 Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a detail view of the detachable cushion in cross-section.

In all the figures the same part will be found designated by the, same letter of reference.

A represents the bed, and B the cushions, of an ordinary billiard-table; and in one corner of the bed is shown, placed properly in position, an appliance which is composed mainly of a slab, 0, made, by preference, of marble, in the top surface of which are formed several depressions, numbered, respectively, as illustrated, from 1 to 25, and adapted to serve as retaining cavities or seats (as will be played on to the top of said slab, and is provided at one edge, as shown, with a metallic or other inclined plane, D, by means of which the ascent of the ball played with from the bed A of the table to the top of said slab C may be readily effected. 7

At another edge of the slab G, at right angles to the edge having attached to it the inclined plate D, is securely fastened a cushion-rail, E, about equal to the length of the edge of the slab, and so made and combined with saidslab that while it serves as a cushion to the ball while rollingabout on top of the slab O, and also as a cushion to the outer edge of said slab, to protect the ball when thrown or rolled on the bed of the table near the side of the slab, it can also be detached from said slab and re-attached to another edge of the latter, when it is desired to change the location of the slab on the billiard-table.

The contrivance just described is, by preferen cc, made of such size or superficial area that when placed in position, as represented, the extreme forward edge, at which the ball ascends from the table-bed,-will about correspond with the imaginary line on the tablebed called the string-line and the cushionrail E will extend in a right line from the string spot, to the middle of the cushionrail at the head of the table.

In the use of the contrivance a ball, Gr,'similar to such balls as are used in playing billiards, but of a smaller diameter, is used, which ball is to be played with a cue, from any point on the table and within the string,

against the cushion B, so as to return towardand ascend onto the slab 0, where it may settle into one of the cavities or seats, 1,2, &c.

In the style of game we have adopted in the use of our invention, any number of players may engage, each in succession playing the ball G, to the end and object of effecting its lodgment in some one of the numbered cavities of the slab O, the game being won and adopted.

As the contrivance'is designed to-be ap plied to the usual billiard-table without. any permanent attachment or means of securement that might injure the cloth or cushions,

or mutilate any part ofthe tabla-and as at:

the same time it is important tohave the fixture capable of perfectly maintainiugitspa sition,.and presenting a perfectly true, level,- and smooth surface or top for the performances of the ball, we propose to make the slab Uof marble,slate, or some other material which, whileit is heavy, may be made to present a smooth and hard surface to-the ac tion of the ball used to play with;

The inclined plate or plane D wemake separate, and, by preference, of polished: metal, and so combine it with, and se'cureitto, the slab G, that, while a perfect joint is made at the juncture of the two parts, thelower edge 1 of the plane 1) may rest on thecloth of -the table-bed in such manner that no obstruction will be oiferedto the ascent of the ball; and i we so make this inclinedplate with slots :for: the accommodation of securing-bolts,and so: provide the slab O with nuts letintoseveral of itsedges, thatithe saidplate D may be secured atpleasure to different edges of l the slab. This mode of attachment of the plate and slab is .most clearly shown at Fig. 2, where" will be-seen one of. the bolts 6 and let-in nuts on, by which said parts are secured-together.

The object and advantage of the capacity to shift the plate D from oneto another edge of the slab (J is, that by this means the position of the slabrmay be changed: either tocounteract any slight inequalities or imperfection, or to change the locationof the-'diflev ently-numbered cavities.-

' The cushion-rail E,as before stated, is made reversible,andthe slab (J is providedatsew eral edges with means for the attachment of the said cushion-rail. This feature of construction isbest shown at Fig. 3, where it will? beseen that the cushion-rail E is so shaped as to be adapted-to placement on. different edges; of "theslab'O, and'that the securing-boltss may be inserted from either side of the shank or leg'portion t of said duplex cushion-rail.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings we have illus tratedzby dottedrlines some. of the E directions 1 in which the ball may be played in the use of our new apparatus or contrivance.

ltw-ilh he understood that by means of the capacity to reverse the location of the cushionrail E relatively to the slab, we are enabled to shift the slab,' or placenit at optioninlan'y one of-theifourcorners of the table, and to thus avoid the wear and tear of the table and its cushions at one portion more than another.

, The ball-or balls used'with ournew contrivan'ce should'beselected of such diameterthat while they caube efi'ectuallynsed on the bed: 1Awith the cushionsBptheywill not be too largeto be controlledin asproper mannerby r the said cushions and the slab-cushionatiEr i wheuthe ball rolls ontop of. theslabO.

Having so-described theconstruction and operation of ournewcontrivance that those :skilled can make-and use-ityand being aware that it may be used in various other waysthan that in which we haveso-farused it, what we claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters 1 Patent, is--- 3 i h 1. A slab, having ball-seats or cavities in its upper surface, andwprovided with an in-" clined surfaceat oneedge, and acushionv at 1? another 'edge, and adapted lto be used on 1 a: billiard-table, substantially as set forth.

E '2. In combination with theslab: O, or itsi equivalent,an inclinediandremovableor shift 1 in g. plate or piece, I), the whole constructed to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth. V 3. In-combination witlra slab or-contrivancm adapted to=bemoved or shifted to different r corners of atable, areversible and shifting cushion-rail, E, whereby the contrivancermay be: adapted to anyone of. the four corners of i the table. i p

In testimony whereof we have hereuntoiset our hands and seals this -7thrday ofi- Septemr her, 1876. l

H. W. OOLLENDER.I l A..P. RUDOLPHE.

In presence ofi 5 J. N. MOINTIRE,

3 JACOB FELBEL. 

